James P. Neal papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0988

Staff Only

Content Description

The James P. Neal papers document Neal's public service on the Newark City Council and the Delaware General Assembly, in both the House and the Senate, as well as materials related to urban planning in Newark, DE and New Castle County, Delaware. Additional material, including records related to Neal's service as a member of the University of Delaware Board of Trustees and other positions, as well as personal correspondence and autobiographical writing may also be found in this collection.

A detailed folder list created by the donor is available pending full processing.

Dates

Creation: 1968-2006

Creator

Neal, James P. (Creator, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec

Biographical / Historical

James P. Neal is an engineer and Delaware public servant, serving on the Newark City Council (1973-1978), and the Delaware General Assembly (1979-1994).

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Neal graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was recruited by the DuPont company, working at plants in New Jersey, Virginia and New York before settling in Delaware in the late 1960s to work at the DuPont headquarters in Wilmington in the engineering department.

Neal's public service began in the 1970s. He was a Republican, but changed his party affiliation after President Richard Nixon's first term. He was elected to the Newark City Council three times, serving from 1973 to 1978. In 1978, Neal was recruited by Jack Billingsley, another DuPont engineer, to succeed Billingsley as the Republican candidate to represent the 25th district in the Delaware House of Representatives. Billingsley did not announce his plans to retire until September, too late for the Democrats to recruit a candidate. In 1978, Neal was elected to the General Assembly. After one term in the House of Representatives, Neal ran and was elected to the Delaware Senate, representing the 10th district. He served four terms, three four year terms and one two year term, from 1981-1994.

Sources Information provided by the donor.

Extent

30.25 linear foot (30 record center cartons and one shoebox)

1 oversize folder (Oversized maps and blueprints)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Attribution 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Abstract

James P. Neal is an engineer and Delaware public servant, serving on the Newark City Council (1973-1978), and the Delaware General Assembly (1979-1994). The James P. Neal papers document Neal's public service on the Newark City Council and the Delaware General Assembly, in both the House and the Senate, as well as materials related to urban planning in Newark, DE and New Castle County, Delaware.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of James P. Neal, 2021-2023.

Permalink

https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?mss0988

Processing Information

Encoded by John Caldwell, February 2024.

This collection is unprocessed, which means material has not been organized or housed archivally, and is still in the order in which it was received. A full inventory of the collection, provided by the donor, is available upon request prior to formal processing.